Posts Tagged ‘Ion Digital Level Control’

According to the National Flood Insurance Program, floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States. Flash floods can occur in all 50 states and everyone lives in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) identified “flood zone”- it’s just a question of whether you live in a low, moderate, or high risk area.

Based on NFIP data, floods have caused nearly $2.7 billion in U.S. losses over the past 10 years (2001-2010) and anyone can be financially vulnerable to floods: People outside of high-risk areas file over 20% of NFIP claims and receive one-third of disaster assistance for flooding.

While flooding may be overlooked in comparison to other natural disasters, the destructive nature of such an event is catastrophic. To minimize the risk of flooding, it is of the upmost importance to have dependable, high-quality equipment protecting your property and other valuable assets.

Metropolitan Industries’ Ion Product Line is designed to do just that. Our top of the line products incorporate the latest technologies designed to minimize the risk of flooding and have become the industry leaders in flood prevention.

As we move forward, we’re excited to announce the addition of new, innovative products to be added to our Ion Family. Each of these products has been developed with one constant goal: Incorporating new technologies to enhance the overall effectiveness of the product.

The Ion Family started over two years ago when Metropolitan Industries President John Kochan Jr. conceived the idea of developing the most reliable sump pump float switch. Since the development and release of the product, Ion™ Digital Level Control, the Ion Family has grown into the most dependable line of products in the flood control industry.

Ion™ Digital Level Control

When Metropolitan Industries launched their patented Ion™ Digital Level Control over two years ago, the entire dynamic of pump switch operation changed. Replacing traditional mechanical float switches and providing advantages over alternative types of pump switches, Ion™ Digital Level Control gives customers the reliability, operation and extended switch life no other product can provide.

“Generally speaking, the primary reason a sump pump will fail to evacuate the water is not because of the pump itself, but because of the float switch,” says Metropolitan Salesperson Brian Drafke. “Mechanical switches, which incorporate moving parts, will experience a great deal of wear and tear over time and are susceptible to failure.”

Switch failure, of course, leads to pump failure which can produce flooding in residential, commercial and industrial locations.

Ion™ Digital Level Control incorporates no moving parts, which is associated with 98% of mechanical switch failures. You’ll never have to worry about flooding during high periods of rain due to the design that handles high inrush pump loads and protects the electrical contacts.

Tested over two million cycles, Ion™ Digital Level Control adds life to your pump and provides a safeguard against switch failure due to its overall design.

In addition to its first of a kind solid-state sensing technology, it is leak resistant and extremely durable due to its proprietary enclosure, while multiple stainless steel screws supply optimized pressure to ensure superior sealing properties and durability.

What Ion™ Digital Level Control also provides is a diversity and quality customers never before have experienced.

• Comparison to the mechanical float switch: “With mechanical float switches, you’re limited in how many suitable applications they fit,” says Drake. “In small sump pits, these switches can be problematic and may not be usable. With Ion™ Digital Level Control, the switch can be placed in any size pit.”

• Comparison to the vertical float switch: “Vertical level float switches are limited in regards to level differential and where the unit can be placed in a sump pit,” says Drafke. “Ion™ Digital Level Control gives users the flexibility to place the switch anywhere and has standard differential heights of 6 inches for standard sump applications and 10 inches for sewage applications.”

• Comparison to the traditional pressure switch: “Without a doubt, the primary advantage of choosing Ion™ Digital Level Control over traditional pressure switches is the fact it comes without any moving parts,” says Drafke. “Not only does that eliminate one of the largest causes of switch failure, it simply gives the customer a higher quality product and adds life to the pump itself.”

Metropolitan is committed to bringing the highest quality of products to the industry. The beginning was the development of Ion™ Digital Level Control and since then, our product line has grown even stronger. For more information regarding Ion™ Digital Level Control, please contact 815-886-9200, sales@metropolitanind.com or visit www.ionstormpro.com.

The Ion® Digital Level Controller that contains no moving parts that fail 98% of the time.

Mechanical pump switch’s days are numbered thanks to a new product called the Ion® Digital Level Control launched by Romeoville, Ill.,-based Metropolitan Industries that replaces mechanical switch operation with intelligent microprocessor technology.

Under development for several years, the patent-pending Ion® Digital Level Controller eliminates moving parts, which are the detriment of most mechanical switches and replaces it with solid-state sensing technology resulting in over 1.5 million cycles which is approximately triple the life of a mechanical switch.

“The problem was never the pump because they are generally built to last. The problem has always been the switch responsible for the critical task of turning the pump on and off,” says John Kochan, Jr., Metropolitan Industries President who developed the idea for the new product by utilizing solid state components and applying them to switch technology.

While mechanical switches are useful and function properly over a period of time, they are always subject to failure. “Mechanical switches use moving parts and wear and tear in a sump pit environment will always break those components down over time,” says Kochan, Jr.

Switch failures translate into non-running pumps, which can result in flooded commercial, industrial and residential locations.

With the demand for reliable switches evident with recent recalls put forth by some of the largest pump manufacturers during the last decade, Metropolitan began work over a period of three years to develop a product that can outperform mechanical switches in longevity and dependability.

How it works

The Ion® Digital Level Controller is a technologically advanced device that senses water level/pressure through the use of a proprietary sensor and microprocessor driven digital control. The microprocessor within the digital float sensor samples analog data from proprietary sensor, which electro-mechanically converts the water pressure to an electrical resistance. Because water pressure is directly proportional to the water height, the electrical resistance of the proprietary sensor is also proportional to the water height. The resistance of the proprietary sensor is measured by means of a resistive bridge network before passing into the microprocessors analog to digital converter.

Metropolitan Industries Presdient John Kochan, Jr., holds the Ion® Digital Level Controller that has been tested over 1.5 million cycles and counting.

Traditionally, sump and sewage pumps often have been started by means of a mechanical switch. The mechanical switch design often uses a set of electrical contacts which close under a given water height scenario, thereby activating the sump pump. Due to the alternating nature of the electrical voltage source from the utility, large voltage differentials could possibly be present across the mechanical switch contacts prior to turning on a pump. When a pump is suddenly turned on under these conditions, large transient current surges could be expected as the motor begins to rotate. These transient surges often cause heating of the electrical contacts which, over time, effectively reduce the lifetime of the switch. This condition is further amplified when a mechanical switch attempts to open and turn off the pump.

When a mechanical switch suddenly opens an inductive motor load, the time rate of change of the current flow can be very large. This value, multiplied by the motors internal inductance, induces a large voltage transient across the mechanical switch contacts. This transient often causes arcing of the contacts which, over time, can cause the switch to wear and ultimately fail. It is well known in the sump pump industry that the cause of most pumping failures occurs when the pumps switch fails.

The embodiments of the ION Switch effectively eliminate the problem of switching transients and contact arcing by incorporating both a solid state switching device in parallel with an electrical relay. When a pump is called for, the turn on cycle begins by enabling the solid state device, or triac. The nature of the triac in our design is to switch on a load under low voltage conditions. By starting the pump motor from a low voltage potential, both radiated and conducted electrical noise have been dramatically reduced.

The Ion Digital Level Control is universal and can be used in almost any pumping application dependent of level control as well as effluent sump and sewage. To customize operation, the Ion® Digital Level Control has standard differential heights of 6 inches for standard sump applications and 10 inches for sewage applications and is inverter rated for use with most battery back up systems. The Ion® can be programmed for custom applications as well.

“We feel the Ion® Digital Level Controller will transform the plumbing industry much the way battery back up systems did in the 1980s because we figured the way to eliminate the moving parts associated with most switch failures,” says Kochan, Jr.

“As wholesalers and plumbers realize there is a product available that can eliminate the problems associated with mechanical switches, it will only be a matter of time until mechanical switches are replaced entirely,” he added.

For further information about the Ion® Digital Level Controller visit www.IonNation.us.